“What about Madhuri’s wedding suit?” Nayna asked, well aware of her sister’s priorities; Madhuri was nearly bursting with horror at the idea of being married in anything but the latest fashions, but for her to ask now would make her look bad in front of her future in-laws.
Her younger sister asking was another matter altogether—siblings got a much freer pass in such things.
Madhuri shot her a grateful look, mouthing, “Owe you, Ninu.”
It turned out Madhuri’s doctor was ahead of them. “I’ve asked a business acquaintance of mine who owns a sari shop to organize a special shipment of designer saris and wedding suits from India,” he declared. “You’ll be able to choose whichever one you want from among them, and it will be fitted exactly to you.”
Madhuri beamed at her suitor. “Oh, Sunny, you’re so wonderful,” she whispered.
Sunny?
Nope, Dr. Sandesh Patel didn’t strike Nayna as a Sunny, but it intrigued her that he was that to Madhuri. The entire Patel family, meanwhile, broke out in huge smiles, utterly charmed by Nayna’s sister.
And so it went, until he and his family left.
The rest of them relaxed, talking over the events of the night—with Aji relaying how Madhuri had first shocked them all with the news of Sandesh’s proposal. “I nearly fell down dead,” their grandmother said, one hand on her heart. “And now the excitement of a wedding so soon!”
“It’ll be good practice for Nayna’s and Raj’s wedding,” Shilpa Sharma commented with a laugh. “We’ll know what not to do by then!”
Nayna looked at Raj. She couldn’t stand it anymore, had to clear the air before this went any further or she might find herself in the midst of a double wedding. “I have some news too.”
The laughter morphed into Cheshire cat smiles—she knew everyone in her family expected her to announce that she’d formally accepted Raj. “I’ve decided that before I make any decisions about the rest of my life, I need to find out who I am.”
A scowl replaced her father’s smile. “What were you doing these past days? Did you not figure all that out already?” A huff of air. “You modern girls. Look at Madhuri. So well settled now.”
Nayna didn’t even bother to roll her eyes at how quickly her sister had been turned into a paragon. Beside her, Madhuri bit off a squeak. At least her sister found that comparison a little over the top too.
She swallowed hard and continued on into the silence, very aware of Raj seated in the chair next to where she sat on the sofa. His presence gave her confidence as she continued. “I’ve decided I need to move out and live on my own for a little while.”
Chaos erupted. Everybody started talking at once. Her sister, her father, her mother, even her grandmother. The tone was incredulous in general, and shocked beneath it. Even Madhuri, wild girl that she’d been, looked as if Nayna had dropped a brick on her head.
“No.” Her father’s voice cut through the din. “This is ridiculous. You’re a good girl. You’ll get married and have a respectable life.” His tone made it clear that was that.
But when he rose as if to leave the room, Nayna said, “I’m sorry, Dad, but I have to do this.”
Her father spoke not to her but to Raj. “I thought you were going to talk some sense into her.”
Raj got to his feet. “Sir, I don’t want Nayna to be my wife if she doesn’t want to be my wife. And she needs this time.”
Her father’s jaw tightened. “Are you telling me you’re supporting this nonsense?”
“I’m supporting Nayna,” Raj said, still polite but refusing to back down.
“Get out,” her father snapped. “I thought you had some spine.”
Raj stood his ground. “I’m here for Nayna. I’ll always be here for her.”
Her father shifted his attention to Nayna, his hard eyes meeting her own. “If you do this, you’re no daughter of mine.”
Though Nayna had expected as much, it was a kick to the heart nonetheless. Nodding, she rose to her feet, so grateful for Raj’s big body right next to her, her shoulder brushing his arm. “I’ll pack my things.”
“Rubbish!”
Everybody stared at Nayna’s mother, who was up on her feet with her hands clenched by her sides. But she wasn’t yelling at Nayna. She was yelling at her husband. Nayna’s eyes widened. She’d never in her entire existence seen Shilpa Sharma raise her voice to Gaurav Sharma. When she glanced down at Madhuri’s seated form, her sister reached up and linked a hand with hers. Madhuri’s eyes were as huge as Nayna’s felt.
Raj lowered his mouth to her ear. “This wasn’t in the script.”
Nayna pressed her lips together to keep from bursting into hysterical laughter.
Across from her, her father finally found his voice. “Shilpa?” he asked, not in anger but in stunned shock.
“Nayna, you sit down!” her mother ordered. “Raj, don’t you move!”
Nayna sat. Raj didn’t move.
“And you, Gaurav Sharma, you listen to me!” Her mother waved a finger in front of his face. “I let you do this the first time and I lost my Madhuri for six years.” She beat a fist against her chest. “I followed my husband because I was brought up to believe my husband knew best. I was told a good wife stood always by her husband’s side. And I missed my eldest for six long years. I cried for her for six long years. Now you want to take my baby from me?”
Shilpa put her hands on her hips and shook her head. “No. As long as I live, Nayna will be welcome in this house and she will be welcome to every family event, and if you have any argument with that, I suggest you move yourself to the spare bedroom and stay there!”
Absolute and utter stunned silence.
Nayna didn’t know where to look. She kind of felt like she should disappear out of the room, but she didn’t want to move and make a sound. From the frozen way Raj was standing and Madhuri was sitting, they felt the same. Only her grandmother continued to rock in her chair, seemingly unconcerned with the explosion from her mild-mannered daughter-in-law.
“Gaurav beta, Shilpa bitia,” she said gently. “I think you need to take this somewhere else.”
“You both stay here,” Nayna’s mother ordered Nayna and Raj before she stalked out of the room and slammed into the kitchen, her husband following.
Nayna opened her mouth, shut it again. Raj, who was still standing, ran his hand over her hair. Her grandmother watched him, a slight smile on the seamed lines of her features.
“Well,” Aji said, “this is exciting.”
Madhuri giggled, and suddenly Nayna was giggling too. Raj looked at the two of them in bemusement, especially when their grandmother slapped her thigh and joined in the laughter. Meanwhile, from the kitchen came silence. After a while, Raj walked back there and leaned against the door while they all held their breath, then came back to tell them, “I think they’ve gone in the backyard. Can’t hear anything from the kitchen.”
That only made the three of them laugh even harder. When it was all over and they’d finally caught their breath, Nayna looked at her grandmother.
“I’m sorry, Aji,” she said. “I didn’t mean to mess everything up.”
Her grandmother waved away her apology. “Oh, mere laal,” she said with deep affection, “all I’ve ever wanted was happiness for you.” Her eyes went to Raj. “You’re a brave boy to stand up to Gaurav, and you’re the kind of boy her father should want for her. He’ll realize that when he calms down.”
Her younger sister asking was another matter altogether—siblings got a much freer pass in such things.
Madhuri shot her a grateful look, mouthing, “Owe you, Ninu.”
It turned out Madhuri’s doctor was ahead of them. “I’ve asked a business acquaintance of mine who owns a sari shop to organize a special shipment of designer saris and wedding suits from India,” he declared. “You’ll be able to choose whichever one you want from among them, and it will be fitted exactly to you.”
Madhuri beamed at her suitor. “Oh, Sunny, you’re so wonderful,” she whispered.
Sunny?
Nope, Dr. Sandesh Patel didn’t strike Nayna as a Sunny, but it intrigued her that he was that to Madhuri. The entire Patel family, meanwhile, broke out in huge smiles, utterly charmed by Nayna’s sister.
And so it went, until he and his family left.
The rest of them relaxed, talking over the events of the night—with Aji relaying how Madhuri had first shocked them all with the news of Sandesh’s proposal. “I nearly fell down dead,” their grandmother said, one hand on her heart. “And now the excitement of a wedding so soon!”
“It’ll be good practice for Nayna’s and Raj’s wedding,” Shilpa Sharma commented with a laugh. “We’ll know what not to do by then!”
Nayna looked at Raj. She couldn’t stand it anymore, had to clear the air before this went any further or she might find herself in the midst of a double wedding. “I have some news too.”
The laughter morphed into Cheshire cat smiles—she knew everyone in her family expected her to announce that she’d formally accepted Raj. “I’ve decided that before I make any decisions about the rest of my life, I need to find out who I am.”
A scowl replaced her father’s smile. “What were you doing these past days? Did you not figure all that out already?” A huff of air. “You modern girls. Look at Madhuri. So well settled now.”
Nayna didn’t even bother to roll her eyes at how quickly her sister had been turned into a paragon. Beside her, Madhuri bit off a squeak. At least her sister found that comparison a little over the top too.
She swallowed hard and continued on into the silence, very aware of Raj seated in the chair next to where she sat on the sofa. His presence gave her confidence as she continued. “I’ve decided I need to move out and live on my own for a little while.”
Chaos erupted. Everybody started talking at once. Her sister, her father, her mother, even her grandmother. The tone was incredulous in general, and shocked beneath it. Even Madhuri, wild girl that she’d been, looked as if Nayna had dropped a brick on her head.
“No.” Her father’s voice cut through the din. “This is ridiculous. You’re a good girl. You’ll get married and have a respectable life.” His tone made it clear that was that.
But when he rose as if to leave the room, Nayna said, “I’m sorry, Dad, but I have to do this.”
Her father spoke not to her but to Raj. “I thought you were going to talk some sense into her.”
Raj got to his feet. “Sir, I don’t want Nayna to be my wife if she doesn’t want to be my wife. And she needs this time.”
Her father’s jaw tightened. “Are you telling me you’re supporting this nonsense?”
“I’m supporting Nayna,” Raj said, still polite but refusing to back down.
“Get out,” her father snapped. “I thought you had some spine.”
Raj stood his ground. “I’m here for Nayna. I’ll always be here for her.”
Her father shifted his attention to Nayna, his hard eyes meeting her own. “If you do this, you’re no daughter of mine.”
Though Nayna had expected as much, it was a kick to the heart nonetheless. Nodding, she rose to her feet, so grateful for Raj’s big body right next to her, her shoulder brushing his arm. “I’ll pack my things.”
“Rubbish!”
Everybody stared at Nayna’s mother, who was up on her feet with her hands clenched by her sides. But she wasn’t yelling at Nayna. She was yelling at her husband. Nayna’s eyes widened. She’d never in her entire existence seen Shilpa Sharma raise her voice to Gaurav Sharma. When she glanced down at Madhuri’s seated form, her sister reached up and linked a hand with hers. Madhuri’s eyes were as huge as Nayna’s felt.
Raj lowered his mouth to her ear. “This wasn’t in the script.”
Nayna pressed her lips together to keep from bursting into hysterical laughter.
Across from her, her father finally found his voice. “Shilpa?” he asked, not in anger but in stunned shock.
“Nayna, you sit down!” her mother ordered. “Raj, don’t you move!”
Nayna sat. Raj didn’t move.
“And you, Gaurav Sharma, you listen to me!” Her mother waved a finger in front of his face. “I let you do this the first time and I lost my Madhuri for six years.” She beat a fist against her chest. “I followed my husband because I was brought up to believe my husband knew best. I was told a good wife stood always by her husband’s side. And I missed my eldest for six long years. I cried for her for six long years. Now you want to take my baby from me?”
Shilpa put her hands on her hips and shook her head. “No. As long as I live, Nayna will be welcome in this house and she will be welcome to every family event, and if you have any argument with that, I suggest you move yourself to the spare bedroom and stay there!”
Absolute and utter stunned silence.
Nayna didn’t know where to look. She kind of felt like she should disappear out of the room, but she didn’t want to move and make a sound. From the frozen way Raj was standing and Madhuri was sitting, they felt the same. Only her grandmother continued to rock in her chair, seemingly unconcerned with the explosion from her mild-mannered daughter-in-law.
“Gaurav beta, Shilpa bitia,” she said gently. “I think you need to take this somewhere else.”
“You both stay here,” Nayna’s mother ordered Nayna and Raj before she stalked out of the room and slammed into the kitchen, her husband following.
Nayna opened her mouth, shut it again. Raj, who was still standing, ran his hand over her hair. Her grandmother watched him, a slight smile on the seamed lines of her features.
“Well,” Aji said, “this is exciting.”
Madhuri giggled, and suddenly Nayna was giggling too. Raj looked at the two of them in bemusement, especially when their grandmother slapped her thigh and joined in the laughter. Meanwhile, from the kitchen came silence. After a while, Raj walked back there and leaned against the door while they all held their breath, then came back to tell them, “I think they’ve gone in the backyard. Can’t hear anything from the kitchen.”
That only made the three of them laugh even harder. When it was all over and they’d finally caught their breath, Nayna looked at her grandmother.
“I’m sorry, Aji,” she said. “I didn’t mean to mess everything up.”
Her grandmother waved away her apology. “Oh, mere laal,” she said with deep affection, “all I’ve ever wanted was happiness for you.” Her eyes went to Raj. “You’re a brave boy to stand up to Gaurav, and you’re the kind of boy her father should want for her. He’ll realize that when he calms down.”
